I warmly congratulate Brazil and Argentina on the 25th anniversary of ABACC, the Brazilian – Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials. This is a very important and successful achievement by their Governments in the area of nuclear verification.
The creation of ABACC in 1991 was an imaginative and courageous step.
It required determination, vision and a commitment to transparency by both countries regarding their nuclear programmes.
ABACC and the IAEA have now been cooperating for many years to ensure that nuclear material in Brazil and Argentina is used exclusively for peaceful purposes.
We jointly conduct inspections, training sessions and other safeguards activities. We hold regular meetings to review our cooperation and discuss the development of new safeguards methods.
We have made great efforts to coordinate our verification activities. As a result, we have been able to reach independent conclusions from our inspections while avoiding unnecessary duplication of work.
More than 70 nuclear installations in Brazil and Argentina are now under safeguards by the IAEA and ABACC.
We can be proud of our history of working together.
I highly appreciate ABACC’s interest in further strengthening the cooperation. This will help make the best use of our human and financial resources while continuing to ensure the effective and efficient implementation of safeguards.
Latin America played a pioneering role in establishing the world’s first nuclear-weapon-free zone in a populated area. The Treaty of Tlatelolco - to which Argentina and Brazil are parties - inspired similar agreements in Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. Nearly two-thirds of the countries of the world now belong to nuclear-weapon-free zones. This is a major achievement.
The IAEA is commemorating its 60th anniversary this year. Our cooperation with Brazil and Argentina is not limited to safeguards. It covers a wide range of IAEA activities that contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted last year.
We will continue to work with ABACC, Brazil and Argentina to help make the world safer and better through what I call “Atoms for Peace and Development”.
Thank you.